Breed focus: There are many strings to the Shropshires’ bow

But there is nothing old-fashioned about this breed, which produces excellent fat lambs from low inputs, and is also widely known as the 'Tree Friendly Sheep'. This may be an invaluable asset in the modern farming era, where tree planting and agroforestry look set to become increasingly important.

Developed by farmers in the West Midlands as a traditional downland breed, Shropshires flourish in a wide range of climates and farming systems. Flocks are to be found throughout Britain from Scotland to Cornwall. They are also numerous in northern European countries such as Denmark, France, Germany and Switzerland, where they are mainly grazed in tree plantations.

The idea of using Shropshires within plantations to produce 'two crops from one acre' was pioneered in Denmark, where the breed was discovered to be the least likely of the improved meat breeds to cause damage to trees.

Over the years, a system of management has been developed for grazing Shropshires between conifers very soon after planting to reduce or completely replace the need for mowing and spraying off weeds. Interest in Shropshires as an environmentally-friendly method of herbage control has increased as the prices of fuel and agrochemicals have soared.

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In the past 15 years, the use of Shropshires has expanded into orchards and other types of deciduous plantations. The sheep may browse on twiggy green branches and leaves up to a height of around one metre, but provided they have plenty of herbage available and free access minerals, they do not damage the bark on the trunk.

Many growers consider that a relatively small amount browsing is an acceptable trade-off because the sheep do an excellent job of controlling the grass around the trees.

Shropshires can also be used in vineyards to control ground herbage after grapes have been harvested. A recent discovery is that they have another role to play – defoliating the fruit zone in the early summer while fruit is setting, but before grapes become palatable. This allows the fruit to receive more air and light, while knocking back the incidence of fungal diseases.

But plantation grazing is by no means the only string to the Shropshires bow. The breed was developed to produce excellent butchers’ lambs from grass alone, and this attribute has not been lost.

Shropshire lambs fed on good pasture are ready for market in 12 to 16 weeks and are easily able to hit the R and U carcase specification. Ewes make excellent mothers and rear twins with ease. They are docile, hardy and prolific typically achieving 160 per cent to 175 per cent lambing, while the lambs are strong, active and with a real will to live.

There are around 220 flocks of Shropshires in the UK with 4,600 registered ewes. About a third of Shropshire breeders use their sheep for grazing plantations.

To find out more about this versatile breed, visit the Shropshire Sheep stand at NSA NorthSheep or visit the breed society’s website at www.shropshire-sheep.co.uk.